To whom it may concern,

Bhaktimarga Swami was given diksha by AC BV Swami Prabhupada in the 70s, and served in Toronto since that time.

BM Swami took sunnyasa from HH Gopal Krishna Goswami in the early 80s.
He appears to be suffering from some kind of serious psychological problems.

In 2001 he accepted a gay disciple (I have no problems with that), but he has used this disciple as a 'personal servant' for some time, and their relationship is quite questionable.

Due to his connection with Gopal Krishna Goswami, I believe he could be part of the Iskcon gay-pedophile association. He has personal friends, one who lives in India, who have defrauded the Iskcon community of a lot of money.

His legal name is John Vis and he was born in the 50s in rural Ontario, Canada.

Your organization may want to further check into his history. He's rather dictatorial, and not in the manner of a true spiritual master - especially a sunnyasi.

TKS for helping clean up the rascals who pose as saintly gurus.

yours, sincerely
donaldsavent
26. March 2007

Bhakti Marga swami -- questionable? 

I’d like to tell you of an experience in ISKCON from many years ago. It may illuminate the psychology some gurus are using or blindly following.

Being in the Toronto temple with our temple president being Bhakti Marg (swami?) a few of us ladies were performing service under horrific conditions. Because of an innate hatred, malice, envy and cruelty, Bhakti Marg would encourage an unsuspecting innocent and very passionate French Canadian bhaktin with his omissions of love. Achieving his objective of the bhaktin falling in love with him, he would use her to strike terror amongst the other ladies living in the temple. If you were seen by her even talking to Bhakti Marg, you were persecuted by her, and that would fire up BM even more.

In his malice he drove the young bhaktin half mad with her desire and his indications of love. He was an active homosexual, so he had no love for her anyway. The ladies, becoming fearful and being terror stricken by this young bhaktin, where helpless. One day in the kitchen we heard a scream, and running up to the temple room we saw that Annasurya had punched the young bhaktin in the mouth. Caught in the moment we all cheered. Annasurya, being horrified at punching the bhaktin, couldn’t live with herself, thus she went away and left behind all of us that loved and appreciated that beautiful gentle lady. The bhaktin also left the temple.

Bhakti Marg is now a guru, cheering on the crowds at his performances where he will jump off stage into the hands of many male devotees. I wonder what his motives are? The definition of devotion by the ISKCON elite who support this kind of behaviour is nothing but deplorable. If this behaviour is that of the kingdom of God, hell would seem preferable. (anonymous)

Bhakti Marga is not authorized to be guru
March 29, 2009

Dear Mother Radha-Govinda Swami,

Hare Krishna
PAMHO, AGTSP.

The simple answer is that the ceremony was not conducted on Srila Prabhupada's behalf. I was trying to accept the GBC's view on initiations, and I believe Bhakti Marga Swai (BMS) was also accepting that view. He was not acting as a priest but had taken the role of an actual initiating guru. I had assumed that Srila Prabhupada had authorized initiating gurus, based on the GBC's assertions, but since I began really looking I have not been able to find any such authorization.

For a while BMS acted almost like a rtvik (he actually hosted a rtvik meeting immediately after my initiation ceremony on July 20, 2004), but eventually he took a more authoritative role and not in a good way. I'm sure you recall how I a conflict developed between myself and BTS' disciples after he passed away, and the way he handled that situation (including telling me a lie to hide their conspiracy to remove me from my service, chastising me without wanting to hear my side of the story, using my brahmana-initiation training to coerce me to stop blogging about what was happening based only on the BTS' disciples' complaints without reading any of what I had written, and forgetting his promise to bring in an intermediary to help resolve the situation) ...devastated me so much that I couldn't chant at all for almost two years and suffered intense depression because of this. When I later came back, desperate for devotee association, he wouldn't explain his actions and seemed to expect everything to just resume as if nothing had happened.

I respect that others have faith in their contemporary initiating gurus and don't harass them about that; but I don't personally see any authorization by Srila Prabhupada for his disciples to assume that role. Of course, that brings up the whole big debate; but I'm talking about my personal view here.
I know he was authorized by the GBC, but I don't believe that is part of their job description since it looks to me that Srila Prabhupada intended the rtvik system he instituted to continue. I don't know how being improperly initiated by a disciple of the acarya would automatically revert to being properly initiated by the acarya. That doesn't make sense to me, and I would be surprised if BMS would think that either. I haven't seen him in a while, but I realize that when I do it is something that I will have to discuss with him. I was a better devotee before this supposed initiation anyway, which really felt like nothing beyond my own hope, so I don't see why resuming the attitude of someone aspiring for initiation would be harmful.

By the way, I didn't just cut my kunthi mala and shorten it; it lost a few beads over time and gradually shrunk to the point where it sometimes felt like it was strangling me this past winter, so I fixed it to two big loops one night as an emergency measure so I could breathe. I realized after a short while that I felt better about it like that, so I shortened it to a comfortable twice around instead of lengthening it to three loops.

Hare Krishna.

Sincerely, your servant,
****** das

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Bhakti Marga Swami's Ritvik Hodge-Podge

Srila Prabhupada, an ISKCON Product
BY: HASTI GOPALA DASA - 22 Sep. 2010

Sep 22, 2010 — TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA (SUN) — I had a recent correspondence with a devotee of long-term prominence here at Toronto ISKCON. I cannot keep silent about Toronto ISKCON's continuing misrepresentation of my guru, Srila Prabhupada. If one believes that people as a whole are being mislead, then one has a duty to speak up to protect people from falling for false information. I must speak up, and if they have a problem with that let them speak up.

I was sent an email regarding Bhakti Marga Swami, who I was told was initiating on Srila Prabhupada's behalf.

Following was some of my reply:

"ps. between you and me. Bhakti Marga Swami has told a former bhaka, just initiated, that he is initiating him as a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Who else is there for the whole world at this time....who? :) Hasti

Now the information I received was from a devotee who knows the now former bhakta, and I have heard this from another devotee of high position in Toronto. The response I got was quite cordial in relation to another topic, but this was added from the devotee I was writing to:

"HE IS NOT A RITIVK. He, like most of the ISKCON gurus, explains to every prospective disciple that Srila Prabhupada should remain the disciple's main focus and that he is taking disciples in order to help them become closer to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON (which is Srila Prabhupada's house. However Bhakti Marga Maharja is the Diksa guru… but in our movement shiksha is extremely important. He takes disciples as a service to Srila Prabhupada."

I will dissect the statement above and respond in kind below.

In reading the whole paragraph, I say... where did Srila Prabhupada set-up this program? Is this "Vedic Tradition"? Srila Prabhupada never initiated his disciples with the above plan, that they get closer to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada. Indeed, he told us not to read his spiritual master's books. "Like most ISKCON gurus" Most? What are the others doing, or is there no standard across the board in ISKCON? What is meant by "that Srila Prabhupada should remain the disciple's main focus" What about the Diksa guru they just took initiation from -- is he not supposed to be the main focus? Srila Prabhupada was our main focus when we got initiated. Again, where is this procedure in Vedic Tradition or anywhere is Srila Prabhupada's books and instructions?

Why would Srila Prabhupada remain the "disciple's main focus" if he is about to be initiated by an ISKCON approved, sum total of the demigods pure devotee who can himself take the disciple back to Godhead? Doesn't ISKCON state that Srila Prabhupada wanted his disciples to become initiating gurus and take their disciples back to Godhead?

...."that he is taking disciples in order to help them become closer to Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON" (which is Srila Prabhupada's house). Again, when did Srila Prabhupada authorise this procedure? In which legal statement, where in his books, letters or even morning walks did he say that this was to be the future procedure? ISKCON temples and their representatives ought to get their stories straight and stop misleading the public that they are authorised to do something that is, in fact, illegal under Vedic law. Here we can plainly see that ISKCON continues with their worldwide deception that anyone regardless can only become connected to Srila Prabhupada through their appointed guru. This smacks of using their positions as patent protectors and Srila Prabhupada as their product.

"However Bhakti Marga Maharja is the Diksa guru". Where in Srila Prabhupada's instructions does he say that upon leaving his body, those he supposedly appointed from then and down line, according to ISKCON, would take on the roll of diksa and he would become siksa guru? "

"…but in our movement shiksha is extremely important. He takes disciples as a service to Srila Prabhupada."

When I was living in the temple (1975) the temple president was the siksa guru. He initiated on Srila Prabhupada's behalf and related to the devotees and congregation as the siksa guru. Srila Prabhupada approved of this.

Why mention that "siksa is extremely important" when I am being told that the swami is a Diksa guru? Then who is the siksa guru? The swami or Srila Prabhupada or the temple president?

Well ladies and gentlemen unless you have not really done your reading, you will have missed one very important ISKCON scam. They have made it official that Srila Prabhupada will become the disciple's siksa guru and the initiator swami will be their Diksa guru. With that there will be two siksa gurus (or more) at any given ISKCON temple or community centre besides Srila Prabhupada, who is locked up in his changed books. So however the temple president sees fit to act or the treasurer or the head cook or even just the doorman, there will be no consistency in protocol, Vedic tradition or simple old fashioned public policy. Whim then becomes the way of the day. Who wants to be involved with whimsical quasi-religious types who cannot stand for common logic and reason? Not us.

Where did Srila Prabhupada authorise that he was to be demoted as siksa guru by the future ISKCON alleged appointed 11 gurus and their future franchise of gurus? The use of Srila Prabhupada as siksa guru allows ISKCON to feed the present world's population with whatever propaganda it sees fit while they continue to change whatever the founding Acarya has written or talked about. And those in ISKCON and its congregations go along with this.

Once a generation has been fed this propaganda it becomes very difficult for them to even engage in alternative thinking or backtracking in history to see how they have been seriously duped. Or for the sake of argument, whether they have. We challenge ISKCON and their present good congregations then to help themselves, FIND OUT!

There has to be within the present ISKCON framework an intelligentsia who are aware of how they are being duped. If you are some of them, then the time is right to let loose with what you understand and help the world break this present blockage and free the river of life so that everyone may cultivate Love of Krsna, the Godhead, take up the Holy Name and grasp the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada with all the gusto and right they have been given...by him... freely!!

If ISKCON has any real transcendental authorization and the gurus are as bona fide as they say, then they should spread out around the world and start their own disciplic succession, write their own books and preach on their own, independently liberating the world as they go. Now for anyone seriously interested in becoming a Vaisnava, a devotee of Krsna, then you should seriously reconsider getting involved with ISKCON.

One can see as any careful consumer does that any inconsistencies in the functioning of any product indicates that at least at the manufacturing level, there has been very poor co-ordination between departments, what to speak of department heads. Who would buy into a product or method that is constantly being challenged on very high intellectual levels with evidence that it is illegal in its procedure, or shady at best? Not very many. Perhaps that has always been the post-ISKCON plan?

So ladies and gentlemen, simply read Srila Prabhupada's original pre-1978 books, chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, especially the Gita (1972 edition), offer your food to Srila Prabhupada as we have described before in "How To Get Karma Free Food, try to follow the four regulative principles of no meat eating, fish or eggs, no gambling, no intoxicants, tea or coffee or cigarettes, and no illicit sex. Srila Prabhupada will help you understand your personal struggles and lead you in the right direction.

And isn't that what ISKCON says it wants to give you?

Hare Krishna
Ys, Hasti Gopala dasa

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Consider Srila Prabhupada as your guru

Dear **** prabhu,

Hare Krsna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. PAMFO

I don't have the other email you submitted, but I'm remembering your saying that you (paraphrased) "didn't consider yourself initiated," and mentioned that you had begun wearing two strands of kanthi mala instead of three.

I'm not understanding why you are not considering yourself to be initiated. If Bhakti Marg Swami did the initiation ceremony, and if you are accepting the Ritvik conclusion, then why would you not accept that you were initiated? with Srila Prabhupada as your Guru?; (that the ceremony was done through Bhakti Marg Swami).

Either you see Bhakti Marg as your initiating guru or Srila Prabhupada as your initiating Guru, but the ceremony being done through Bhakti Marg S. (I don't understand why you would be writing that you didn't feel you had received initiation.)

Your servant,

Dasi, B. Radha-Govinda
Hare Krsna

Bhakti Marga Swami is a bogus guru

… Bhakti Marga swami is part and parcel of the same regime that apparently poisoned Srila Prabhupada, created tons of apa-siddhanta literatures, orchestrated the molesting of all kinds of children, orchestrated murders, ad infinitum, how is this lineage -- pure? Or is this what Rocana considers as pure? Or is Rocana saying that the bona fide guru lineage is ... not pure? For example, Rocana claims Bhakti Marga is an initiating (parampara) guru, quite astonishing since Bhakti Marga is "voted in as guru" by the same folks who re-instate the worship of known homosexual pedophiles being worshiped as "Vishnupada." How are these odious deviants authorized to "vote in" anyone else as "a pure devotee guru." Which previous acharyas were "voted in," period? ....

Quoted from PADA Newsletter July 22, 2007 - Rocana/ Badri/ NM 7-22
reply to: angel108b@yahoo.com

Bhakti Marga Swami and Rocana
PADA Newsletter July 22, 2007 - Rocana/ Badri/ NM 7-22

Rocana says that "his good friend" Bhakti Marga swami is a diksha guru. Apparently, the only "qualification" of being "the continuation of the parampara guru" nowadays is "being a good friend of Rocana." " Sure, my pals are 'as good as Krishna'!

Bhaktimarga "Swami" aka John Vis

Any questions? If you question, then you are 'not in the tradition' of Rocana's bogus rubber stamped gurus"!

Whenever Rocana feels the sudden urge to be "friendly" to someone, that makes Rocana's pals "the sum total of the demigods," "Krishna's successors," and "the person who is capable of absorbing sins for the fallen souls." Rocana merely waves his Harry Potter magic wand and says, "presto bingo boingo," then there is "a resident of Krishna loka" standing before us. More importantly, Rocana recently found a plastic sticker at the bottom of his Corn Flakes which says, "I am the sum total of -- the sum total of -- the demigods," and then he thinks that makes him the creator of Krishna's successor diksha gurus, and Rocana eliminates Krishna from the post of adi-guru and he hijacks Krishna's position. Rocana thinks he is the creator of -- those who succeed God!

Did we forget to mention that Rocana is just a little bit arrogant to assume that he is now among "the exclusive persons" in charge of deputing gurus since the function of -- empowering gurus -- is actually the function of Krishna (God). Apparently Rocana has not noticed that his magic wand process has made a slew of deviants, criminals and pedophiles as "gurus" already. SORRY! It is not Rocana but Krishna alone who deputes and empowers gurus, not Rocana's and Bhakti Marga's "committee"! "I hereby deputize the guru," says deputy dog?

Yet who needs Krishna when we have Rocana's process of rubber stamp of his pals as "gurus" left, right and center. Rocana is simply parroting his actual boss and uber-meister leader, Mr. Badrinarayana dasa who also claims (see Badri's article below) the bogus GBC's "guru committee" makes gurus (such as Rocana's pal Bhakti Marga swami) i.e. Krishna is no longer required to have that role. And did we forget to mention that Bhakti Marga is in love with Kirtanananda's former henchmen and palanquin carriers like -- Radhanatha swami. Why is Rocana supporting this criminal guru's regime?

OK, did we forget to mention that many of us do not think that Kirtanananda's henchmen are "the sum total of the demigods" since they aided and abetted an empire full of molesting, murders and criminal mayhem. It is amazing that for people like Rocana, Krishna no longer exists as a functional deity for these people? God is no longer required to empower His gurus, Rocana and his bogus committee are doing that by their own "eternal guru shakti" (which they found at the bottom of a Cracker Jack's package) since apparently God's shakti has run out of gas. "My friends are gurus," of course those of us who are not so friendly are fried banana peels and not the next "sin absorbing Jesus" in Rocana's neighborhood. Bhakti Marga supports the process of Kirtanananda's boot lickers like Radhanatha being gurus, Rocana supports Bhakti Marga, yet no one has ever explained how "Bhakti Marga and Radhanatha's" homosexual pedophile gurus EVER became gurus in the first place, except that they had "friends" in Rocana's "guru by committee" process?

Rocana says he accepts gurus from Badri's "guru voting committee" which "empowers and authorizes gurus," whereas he says our idea to worship a bona fide pure devotee is "not in the tradition." Rocana has the same disease that Sridhara Maharaja has. Some people were Sridhara Maharaja's friends ("pet friends" chides Srila Prabhupada), so he made them into gurus. Srila Prabhupada says this is all bogus because of course: the guru is deputed by Krishna, not by Sridhara Maharaja, or Badri, or Rocana? Rocana is very humble -- because Rocana is better than God? God no longer needs to empower gurus since Rocana does. This is ritvik-diculous. No wonder Rocana has been drooling on himself and cannot explain his siddhanta for the past 30 years, since his siddhanta is the same as: Badrinarayana's, the bogus GBC's/ Sridhara et al. OK, Rocana "empowers" the guru, and not Krishna. And how did you guess, the same committee that Badri says is in control of Rocana's guru Bhakti Marga swami is the same committee that voted in Rocana's guru -- Bhakti Marga swami.

Yep, we can kick God out on the street and make our own "guru factory" as Srila Prabhupada sardonically addresses these fools, and vote in gurus, control gurus -- by the votes of deviants. Hence the first problem with Rocana is that he validates the bogus GBC's bogus guru lineage (see for example): harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/07-07/editorials1758.htm. Rocana claims that the members of the bogus guru regime like Bhakti Marga swami are initiating gurus i.e. "diksha gurus." Yet Rocana never explains how/ or when/ or why/ these people ever -- became gurus, except by the process of bogus "guru by rubber stamp"? This is the same trouble we have had with the Sridhara/ Narayana/ Tripurari/ Gaura Govinda swamis and Badrinarayana group. When did Srila Prabhupada authorize -- any -- of these folks to be gurus? Rocana never tells us -- for the past 30 years?

Bhakti Marga swami is part and parcel of the same regime that apparently poisoned Srila Prabhupada, created tons of apa-siddhanta literatures, orchestrated the molesting of all kinds of children, orchestrated murders, ad infinitum, how is this lineage -- pure? Or is this what Rocana considers as pure? Or is Rocana saying that the bona fide guru lineage is ... not pure? For example, Rocana claims Bhakti Marga is an initiating (parampara) guru, quite astonishing since Bhakti Marga is "voted in as guru" by the same folks who re-instate the worship of known homosexuals being worshiped as "Vishnupada." How are these odious deviants authorized to "vote in" anyone else as "a pure devotee guru." Which previous acharyas were "voted in," period?

Rocana is speechless and simply drools on himself with no reply. The same people Rocana's "guru" Bhakti Marga got his "guru certificate" from also "certify" known pedophiles as gurus, why does Rocana validate this system? Why doesn't Rocana know by now that pedophiles are not Vishnupada, and that the people who establish that odious process are -- not -- qualified to "vote in" -- more gurus? Why does Rocana direct or de facto validate the program of vilifying Vishnu? In short, all we have to do is pick up a corner of Rocana's carpet to find "what that smell is," and we find that he sweeps all kinds of garbage under his siddhanta carpet, including that Rocana is validating "the enforced cult ritualistic worship of homosexual pedophile guru's regime" (and / or those validated / voted in / by that regime).

Rocana, have you no idea that NO previous gurus were "voted in"? Period! And why would a bona fide guru be voted in by child molester "gurus" or members of that regime in any case? Oh, we forgot, Rocana only "follows the tradition," his own concocted tradition: the child molester messiah's regime and its component members or out cropping. Rocana's idea can be summed, only those dedicated faithful to the pedophile guru's lineage are giving diksha, Srila Prabhupada is not pure enough to do so! Swell! Rocana says that there must be "a current living guru," which is of course what the bogus GBC, Gaudiya Matha, smartas, sahajiyas and the Catholic Pope says too. And how handy is this! Rocana has some nice deviants for us to worship as our gurus! Yet Rocana never tells us where his "living guru" process was ever "ordered by Srila Prabhupada"?

Mind you, Srila Prabhupada says the opposite: that we do not want another "living guru" imbroglio like the Gaudiya Matha. Worse, Rocana has stated that Srila Prabhupada "gave no clear orders" despite we have published his clear orders countless times and sent them to Rocana. Rocana simply says that folks like Bhakti Marga are "gurus," but Rocana never explains: where was the order given for Bhakti Marga to be a guru, a successor to Krishna etc.? No. "The order" is for a Governing Body ONLY, and not living gurus. And worse, we have asked Rocana to quit saying what the GBC says (and which insults Srila Prabhupada) that our guru "gave no specific orders." And we asked Rocana to show us: what are the specific orders? And /or where is "the order" for people like Bhakti Marga to be gurus? Rocana says there are no specific orders, therefore he merely assumes that the bogus GBC's are diksha gurus? Rocana is just making up the orders ashe goes along, and he is by the way making up the wrong orders?

Worse, Rocana admits that the followers of his so-called living gurus do not hesitate to harass, vilify and insult the devotees of Srila Prabhupada, so why is Rocana encouraging a violent cult that despises the disciples of Srila Prabhupada (OK and sometimes beats and murders his disciples)? This is "the tradition"? Sorry Rocana but your "good friend" and guru pal Bhakti Marga swami has "gone along with" tons of full-fledged crimes and bogus siddhanta uttered and penned by the post-1977 ISKCON leaders. How can Bhakti Marga give diksha, "absorb the sins of his followers," when he associates with the sinful, and is voted in by the sinful? And Rocana says: Bhakti Marga's preaching is so bogus and fanatical that his own followers attack Srila Prabhupada's followers? This is the mood we want for ISKCON, a cat fight amongst competing guru franchises? And what we want is, a vicious mood that creates murders -- or -- the potential for the murders of the followers of Srila Prabhupada? Some of Bhakti Marga swami's followers have written to PADA some of the most insulting materials we ever got from anyone, and Rocana is encouraging this process? Rocana wants the disciples of Srila Prabhupada to receive veiled threats of violence? Why is Rocana encouraging sub-violent cult moods for ISKCON -- after -- it is well recorded that people get molested and murdered from Rocana's cult's previously encouraging this fanaticism?

We cover more of Rocana's failed siddhanta in the article by Badrinarayana below, where we indicate some of the big troubles with Rocana's so-called living gurus theory. If (as we say) there was only an order for a Governing Body, how is the guru subordinate to a committee? Don't expect any sane answer from Rocana anytime soon, he has no idea how to reply to any of this for the past 30 years. thanks pd